


The End of All

by zarabithia



Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: Mercy Killing, Murder, Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-05-29
Updated: 2007-05-29
Packaged: 2019-05-20 18:07:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14899415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zarabithia/pseuds/zarabithia
Summary: Jason does his brother a favor.





	The End of All

To say that the incident with Duela Dent had shaken Jason up enough to send him running back to New York with his tail tucked between his legs would have been a false interpretation of events.

Moreover, claiming that losing his on-again/off-again partner made him nostalgic for the pre-death era of Batman and Robin and that screwing with Nightwing was the closest he could come to dealing with that fact would have been an over simplification.

However, it would have been entirely fair to say that Jason was pissed that life was trying to fuck with him _yet again_ , just when he’d started to get comfortable with his new position - _yet again_ \- and that his trip to New York was in part a desperate bid to see some proof that the gossip mill was right about golden boy’s life going down the drain since the last time Jason had cast a shadow over Dick’s door.

Sadly, when Jason arrived to Nightwing’s apartment, the golden boy himself was nowhere to be found. A quick trip through the apartment revealed a much cozier atmosphere than the last time Jason had dropped by to complicate the first Robin’s life. There was certainly no proof of the whole torture-loving murderer that had supposedly led the Outsiders. Pretty little pictures lined the walls capturing various perfect moments in the favored one’s life. Parents, Bruce, Alfred, Titans group shots, and gag-inducing couple photos with Starfire and the first Speedy all vied with tacky furniture and posters of Haly’s Circus for space in the tiny apartment.

It didn’t really improve Jason’s mood much.

He decided to lie low, waiting for Dick to return. When three days passed without a sign of Dick anywhere, he went hunting. When nothing showed up, he decided to head to the last known location of the Outsiders. He'd always kind of wondered about the bogus claims coming out of Africa. And if golden boy was hanging out there, he might as well use that as an excuse to get to the bottom of rumors he never believed.

What he discovered, when he arrived, confused him worse than any crowbar ever had. He'd had the good fortune to arrive a week after Batty Dearest had taken control of the team. Nothing could have made Jason happier - the chance to fuck with the golden boy and Batty dearest at the same time was priceless. Apparently, Grayson wasn't sharing his enthusiasm.

Not that Jason had really expected him to. But Jason had expected a little bit more than to see Nightwing hunched over as though the world was coming to an end.

Dick Grayson had been a lot of things in Jason's life. He'd been a reluctant brother, the perfect example Jason couldn't live up to, someone to take all his frustrations out on, an ill-frequent ally, and occasionally, the only other one who understood exactly how frustrating Batman could be.

But he'd never been someone so completely pathetic as the broken mess that sat on the floor of the Outsiders' headquarters.

There was really only one thing that would cause him to have that reaction.

"So the rumors about what this team has been up to are true, then, and Daddy Bat's disappointed in you." Jason surmised, "You always did care too much about what he thought."

Dick's laugh was as sincere as Bruce's. "I thought I could make up for all my mistakes. I just made them _worse._ "

"It's not so bad, you know. Not living up to his expectations."

"I'm not _you._ " There was a rapid headshake, then Dick pulled his knees up to his chest, and began rocking quietly. "I'm supposed to be _better._ "

"Having a bit of a trouble living up to sainthood, then?" Jason knew what that was like. He'd had more than his fair share of saints...and he'd gotten over needing to please every damn one of them. He wondered if Dick would ever stop imitating Peter Pan long enough to do the same.

Jason glanced around the empty headquarters, wondering where rest of the team he'd helped out not too long ago was.

"They're on a training mission. With Batman," Dick answered his unasked question.

"And you're supposed to be the lookout? You let me in on purpose, or am I just that good?"

"No point in arguing with you. I've done things that are ...just as bad as what you've done." Dick buried his hands in his knees, and Jason couldn't quite make all the mumbles out, but he did manage to hear "disappointment," "Bruce," "killer," "Kryptonite," and "Superman."

Jason rolled his eyes, remembering the pathetic photographer that had found his way to Red Hood not too long ago, no doubt with Superman's help. If the Boy Scout was that willing to trust him, surely he'd forgive golden boy. Bruce must have really worked Dick over if he'd forgotten how easy it was to gain Mr. Truth and Justice's favor. "Long as you've seen the light, you might as well join me. Think of the good we could do, the villains we could take down together." Jason grinned at the thought, because Dick couldn't see it underneath the mask anyway. "C'mon, Big Brother. You've been waiting your whole life to be a _partner_ again."

"Go away, Jason." The growl was low, but too shaky to be impressive. It wasn't worthy of the man _everyone_ had wanted Jason to grow up to be.

And that made Jason just angry enough to pull out his favorite weapon. He really didn't give a fuck about Dick either way. But as family members went, they made them a lot worse than Dick Grayson. "Fine. I guess we're going about things the Bat Family Way. Good old sparring to knock some sense into you."

Dick raised his head and looked directly at Jason, so that his voice was no longer muffled."I won't fight you."

Jason rolled his eyes. "Then I guess you'll get a gut full of shiny," he answered. "Providing you don't get off your ass and take the knife from me."

"Is it sharp?"

The question confused Jason momentarily. "Of course it's sharp. I wasted three days in New York sharpening it, while I waited on you. Didn't have any idea you were still here, being a pathetic cry baby desperate for Daddy's attention."

"Don't miss."

"What?"

"When you hit, don't miss. I don't want to spend another three weeks recovering because you have bad aim."

"Grayson - "

"We were brothers once. Legally, we still are. You owe me this much, Jason." Dick's eyes were entirely too wet to look at. And damn it, if Bruce was any kind of father at all, he would have interrupted them _right now._

Naturally, he didn't.

"Legally, I'm dead. And you've a fucking mess. You're perfectly capable of killing yourself. Why make me do your dirty work?"

"He'd blame himself."

"He should. It's all his fault. Every damn thing that's ever happened to us is his fault, Grayson."

"No. Mine." There was a weep in that voice that Jason understood. Part of Jason hated Dick for the little pity party that he was throwing. He'd _always_ been the perfect one. The preferred one. The one that had never had to crawl out of his own fucking grave.

But Jason didn't hate him enough to do what he asked.

"Stand up. I'm not doing this with you sitting on the floor. " The part of him that remembered his big brother congratulating him on the brief stint Jason had held as a Titan _would_ do this _._ Because _that_ had been the Dick Grayson that everyone had wanted him to be, and it was clear that person was deader than Jason had ever been.

And resurrections sucked. Jason wasn't big enough of an asshole to make anyone else go through one. Not even golden boy.

"Thank you. And I'm sorry I wasn't a better big brother. To you or to Tim."

"This will kill him, you know."

"Like I said, I'm sorry I'm not a being better big brother."

"Close your eyes."

Jason aimed carefully, and he didn't miss.  



End file.
